La Font de Prades - Barcelona
La Font de Prades is a Spanish restaurant in Barcelona which forms part of the 'Poble Espanyol', a museum complex in the city. This restaurant specialises in the production of traditional dishes from the Spanish region of Catalonia, and in particular, traditional rice dishes.
The Restaurant
La Font de Prades restaurant is part of the 'Poble Espanyol' initiative. The Poble Espanyol (Spanish Town) is an open-air museum dedicated to the architecture of traditional Spanish towns. The museum is located on Barcelona's famous mountain, Montjuïc, near the Olympic Village from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The Poble Espanyol was built in 1929 in order to be incorporated in the International Exhibition which was held in Barcelona in the same year. Despite being used for only six months, it was decided that the museum should not be demolished hence it has become one of the great museums you can find in your Barcelona city guide books.
The Poble Espanyol was thought up by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who wanted to create a museum that displayed the diverse styles of architecture and culture of different regions in Spain in one place. The museum was designed to be an actual town in which the museum visitors could actually see and experience all of these styles at once. The town was designed by the architects Francesc Folguera and Ramon Reventós and composes of over 100 separate buildings, streets and squares.
La Font de Prades restaurant was opened in 1969 by Josep y Rosa, converting it into the only place in the Poble Espanyol where you could enjoy a good, home made meal with a glass of wine or cava, the Spanish equivalent of champagne. Today the restaurant is run by the second generation of the family, Pere and Rosa. Thanks to the forty years of restaurant experience across the different generations of this family, La Font de Prades has become a centre for gastronomy not only in the Poble Espanyol, but in the city of Barcelona as well.
La Font de Prades consists in a number of dining rooms and terraces. The main dining room looks out onto the square of the Poble Espanyol and seat around 100 people. On this floor there is also a private dining room which can be hired for private parties. Downstairs at this Spanish restaurant is the cave which holds another private dining room and the wine cellar. This area is perfect for private parties, particularly wine tasting events. On the first floor there is another room and a terrace on the balcony which provides excellent views across the square and to the Sant Miquel Monastery. Finally, outside in the square itself there is another terrace which contains the fountain that gives its name to the restaurant.
The Menu
At La Font de Prades restaurant in Barcelona, you can sample the delights of Catalan cooking with hints of Mediterranean cuisine too. There are many dishes which have been produced from traditional Catalan recipes, but other dishes have been created by the kitchen staff themselves. The restaurant considers itself to be an expert in rice, cod, and barbecued meat dishes and is certain that you will always enjoy whatever dish you order.
The main menu at the restaurant includes such dishes as 'Bacalao con miel y brotes de ajos tiernos' (Cod with honey and fresh garlic shoots), 'Butifarra a la brasa con judías blancas de Santa Pau' (Barbecued Butifarra sausage with Santa Pau white beans), and 'Gambas de la costa al ajillo' (Prawns from the coast fried with garlic).
Aside from their main menu, La Font de Prades also offers a good value daily menu as well as a selection of Spanish tapas and snacks. They also offer vegetarian meals, something you won't always find in a restaurant in Spain, and they also offer meals for people with other specific diets on request.
